Stephan: The Nordic countries examplars of what happens to a society that makes wellbeing at every level its first priority, are leading the way in many areas that improve the quality of life for the people who live in those countries, and for the planet itself. When you look at the social outcome data you have to ask: why does the United States seem to be unable to match the Nordic success? Why are people in those countries so much happier, healthier, wealthier, and better educated? Why do they live longer? Don't you think those questions are worth answering? And, if you don't why don't you?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular in countries such as Norway.
Credit: James D. Morgan
Call them the kings in the north.
Drivers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and – chief among them – Norway have become the world leaders in buying electric vehicles.
Together the five Nordic countries, home to roughly 0.4 percent of the planet’s population, accounted for 8 percent of the world’s battery-powered, fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid-electric cars and trucks in 2016, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency.
Although the Nordic nations trail the
U.S. and
Chinain total electric vehicle sales, in
Norway alone electric vehicles made up 39 percent of new car sales in 2016. In the U.S., by comparison, electric vehicles accounted for just
1.4 percent of new car sales the same year.
The key reason is economics: With the exception of that pickup-truck commuter or midlife-crisis convertible, automobiles are one area where consumers generally tend to act rationally. High upfront costs force buyers […]
